1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of pet hygiene. More particularly, the present invention relates to controlling breath odor in pets. More particular yet, the present invention involves both a method and composition for controlling breath odor in pets such as dogs, where the active ingredient is uncooked garlic. Most particularly, the present invention involves the treatment and control of breath odor in pets by dispensing uncooked garlic in powder form to such pets.
2. Description of Prior Art
As all pet owners are aware, the smell of a pet's breath can be rank enough to repulse the pets' owners, as well as the owners' friends and relatives, thereby adversely affecting the emotional bond between dog and human. Just as there are remedies, such as mouthwashes, pastes, and gels, intended for human use in combating what the advertisers once dubbed "halitosis," so too are there "fresheners," i.e., cover-up liquids and solids, that can be administered to pets for what is referred to as "doggy breath." There are also chemical sprays and cleansers to be applied to the animal's oral cavity by the owner or by a veterinarian.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,341 issued Jun. 25, 1985, to Deihl discloses a method of administering vitamins to air-breathing animals (including humans) by an aerosol vehicle that, in addition to containing vitamins, also contains a breath freshener. The aerosol of Deihl is sprayed into the nose or mouth opening of the animal from where some of it is carried to the lungs by the animal's respiration. The "breath freshener" of Deihl not being specified, it can be any one of the products on the market bearing that name. As far as is known, none of these "fresheners" does more than temporarily mask the problem of bad breath in pets.
Richar et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,836 issued Apr. 11, 1995) disclose pet food containing water-soluble zinc compounds for controlling animal breath. This method avers that a primary source of offensive breath in animals results from the breakdown of food proteins by bacteria in the oral cavity. Thus, Richar et al. also teach that the zinc compounds can be incorporated into rawhide "chews" as a means of administering the bad-breath-controlling substance. Zinc sulfate is one such zinc compound that is widely known as a deodorant. However, it is not entirely a benign substance. Although the amounts of the compound that must be ingested in order to cause illness or death in a human or other big animals are large, they are proportionately smaller in small pets, and much more care must be taken in dispensing a safe dose. Thus, although it is possible to administer such compounds safely by using informed care, the potential for harm is present, therefore compromising the benefit of this approach to bad-breath control.
Except for Richar et al., all of the other prior-art breath improvements for animals have relied on sweet mint or chlorophyll-based scents, sprays, dietary supplements, etc. to simply mask the bad odors that are present. As indicated, these methods have at best resulted in a temporary cover-up of the undesirable odors.
To the extent that offensive odors arise from the oral cavity alone, it is known that scraping of plaque and tartar buildup from the animal's teeth is a further remedy, though one usually requiring the expertise and expense of a veterinarian, as animals frequently require sedation during such scraping. While tartar and plaque removal is effective and beneficial from a dental perspective, the offensive odors from the pet's mouth are neither entirely eliminated, nor even reduced for an appreciable amount of time. One reason for this is that scraping does not eliminate the odor-causing bacteria, but only a particular breeding place for such bacteria.
Another reason that scraping may not be sufficiently effective is that some of the strongest odors may not originate from the mouth at all. As with humans, these odors can emanate from the deep breath as a result of an adulterant present in the pet's system, especially the blood stream. Noxious gases, if present in the blood stream, can be given up by the blood during its oxygenation in the lungs, i.e., at the blood/lung interface. Several sources of such odors are known to be, for example, gas-producing vegetables, such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and cooked garlic.
Therefore, what is needed is a method for ameliorating offensive breath in domestic pets, especially in dogs, that can be easily administered by the pets' owners. What is also needed is that the method not be painful or expensive and that it give more than just temporary "cover-up" relief. What is further needed is a method that is benign to both the pet and the environment. Finally, what is need is such a method of breath amelioration that is acceptable to the pet.